Scottish National Dictionary (1700–)
Hide Quotations Hide Etymology
About this entry:
First published 1941 (SND Vol. II).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.
BROOK, n.3
1. “The circle for the marbles in the boys' game of marbles” (Arg.1 1929).
2. “A game of marbles, in which a circle, square, or triangle with intersecting lines is drawn, and a marble placed at the end of each line and at the point of intersection. The object of the players is to knock the marbles out of the “brook” from a stance some ten or twelve feet away” (Id.).Arg. 1901 R. C. Maclagan Games and Diversions of Arg. 154:
The rules for high knuckle and pairs apply. A plunker remaining in the ring must be struck out under penalty of loss of a marble, which is put within the mark in The Ring and The Brook.
